Binance.US added support for World Liberty Financial’s USD1 stablecoin on October 29, 2025, just six days after President Trump pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ). The timing triggered immediate accusations of corruption from Senator Chris Murphy, who alleged the listing represented …
BinanceBinance.USChangpeng ZhaoDonald TrumpSenator Chris Murphy+2 morebinancebinance-uschangpeng-zhaoconflict-of-interestcorruption+7 more
MAGA-aligned lobbying firms, led by Ballard Partners (founded by Trump fundraiser Brian Ballard), have quadrupled revenue as corporations seek influence on tariffs, healthcare, and China policy through Trump’s inner circle. Major clients including Harvard, TikTok, and Fortune 500 companies pay …
Brian Ballardcorporate clientsPam BondiSusie WilesTrump Administrationconflicts-of-interestcorruptioninstitutional-capturelobbyingpay-to-play
The White House released a list of 37 corporate donors financing Trump’s $300 million ballroom project, including all five of America’s largest tech companies—Google, Amazon, Meta, Apple, and Microsoft—along with crypto firms Ripple and Coinbase, defense contractor Lockheed Martin, …
President Trump hosted defense and technology executives at a White House ballroom fundraiser for his $250 million renovation project, with major donors including Lockheed Martin, Amazon, Meta, Google, and Palantir. Google’s $22 million settlement with Trump for social media suspension …
Donald TrumpGoogleAmazonMetaLockheed Martin+2 morecorruptionconflicts-of-interestpay-to-playinstitutional-captureself-dealing
1789 Capital falsely marketed an ‘Inaugural U.S. Treasury A.I. Summit’ featuring Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, selling sponsorships with promised VIP access to senior government officials. The Treasury Department confirmed it never approved the materials or event. Organizers later …
Roger Ver agreed to a $48 million deferred-prosecution deal to avoid jail in a tax fraud case after hiring Trump fixers Roger Stone and David Schoen. The settlement follows Trump’s systematic rollback of crypto enforcement, with Ver’s charges potentially being dropped if he complies with …
Roger VerRoger StoneDavid SchoenTrump AdministrationDOJsystematic-corruptioncrypto-corruptiontwo-tiered-justicepay-to-play
YouTube agreed to pay Trump $24.5 million to settle his lawsuit over account suspension following the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack, with Google dedicating $22 million to Trump’s White House ballroom construction. Free speech experts stated the lawsuit raised no credible legal claims since …
Donald TrumpYouTubeGoogleMetaXcorruptionpay-to-playconflicts-of-interestshakedowntech-regulation
ProPublica exposed that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem expedited over $11 million in federal disaster funds to rebuild Naples, Florida’s tourist pier within 24 hours after major donor Dr. Sinan Gursoy texted her on behalf of the city’s mayor. After Gursoy told the mayor ‘I …
The New York Times revealed that Alex Witkoff pitched a $4 billion real estate fund to sovereign wealth funds of Qatar, UAE, and Kuwait while his father Steve Witkoff served as Trump’s special envoy negotiating Gaza ceasefire with those same nations. The proposed ‘Special Situations Real …
Steve WitkoffAlex WitkoffQatar Investment AuthorityUAEKuwaitcorruptionconflicts-of-interestforeign-influencepay-to-playnepotism
Trump signed an executive order approving a TikTok deal that hands control to close allies Larry Ellison (Oracle), Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch (Fox Corp), and Michael Dell, with Oracle managing the algorithm and security infrastructure. The investor group—including Oracle, Silver Lake, Andreessen …
Donald TrumpLarry EllisonOracleRupert MurdochLachlan Murdoch+3 morecorruptionconflicts-of-interestcronyismtech-regulationsurveillance+1 more
Project On Government Oversight revealed that Ballard Partners—the lobbying firm that employed Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles—secured lucrative no-bid ICE contracts for clients providing controversial biometric surveillance technology. In August, …
Ballard PartnersPam BondiSusie WilesICEBI² Technologies+1 morecorruptionpay-to-playconflicts-of-interestsurveillancegovernment-contracts+1 more
Trump announced construction of a $200-250 million White House ballroom funded entirely by private donors including Lockheed Martin, Google, Palantir, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Blackstone. Nearly 40 corporations with billions in federal contracts pledged $5-10 million each, with donors’ …
Donald TrumpLockheed MartinGooglePalantirMicrosoft+3 morecorruptionpay-to-playconflicts-of-interestinstitutional-capturegovernment-contracts
The New York Times revealed that after UAE entity MGX (controlled by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed) invested $2 billion in World Liberty Financial—a cryptocurrency venture co-founded by Trump and special envoy Steve Witkoff—the White House approved the UAE’s acquisition of hundreds of thousands of …
Donald TrumpSteve WitkoffDavid SacksSheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al NahyanMGX+2 morecorruptionpay-to-playinstitutional-captureconflicts-of-interestcryptocurrency+2 more
The Securities and Exchange Commission moved to dismiss its civil fraud case against Trevor Milton, founder of Nikola Corporation, following his pardon by President Trump on March 28, 2025. Milton was convicted in October 2022 of securities fraud for misleading investors about Nikola’s …
Trevor MiltonSecurities and Exchange CommissionDonald TrumpNikola Corporationcorruptionregulatory-capturepay-to-playsecurities-fraudelite-impunity
India’s embassy hired Mercury Public Affairs for $75,000 per month to lobby the Trump administration amid threats of 50% tariffs on Indian goods. Mercury Public Affairs is closely tied to Trump insiders including Susie Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff and Mercury’s former executive. …
IndiaMercury Public AffairsSusie WilesTrumpforeign-influencepay-to-playlobbyingconflicts-of-interestcorruption
Rolling Stone reported that associates of convicted Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs offered mid-six-figure payments to Trump administration officials, political operatives, and lobbyists to secure a presidential pardon. The efforts began months before Trump’s inauguration and intensified after …
Sean CombsDonald TrumpNicole WestmorelandWhite Housesystematic-corruptionbriberyclemency-abusepay-to-play
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) reported on July 30, 2025, that Qualcomm gave $1 million to Securing American Greatness, a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization that supported President Trump in the 2024 election and is now spending to boost his agenda. The donation was …
QualcommSecuring American GreatnessTaylor BudowichDonald Trumpsystematic-corruptiondark-moneycorporate-influencepay-to-playtech
IRG Global Emergency Management donated $10,000 to the Florida GOP on June 24, 2025, and received a $1.1 million Alligator Alcatraz contract hours later. Within a week, the company secured two additional contracts totaling $5.1 million for shuttle transportation, emergency services, and air …
IRG Global Emergency ManagementRon DeSantisRepublican Party of FloridaAccess Restoration Services (ARS)Florida Division of Emergency Managementpay-to-playno-bid-contractsemergency-powers-abusecampaign-financecontractor-corruption
In 2025, the Trump Administration has established sophisticated mechanisms for business-government coordination, including the American Growth Partnership and the Executive Branch private club. The latter, co-founded by Donald Trump Jr. and charging a $500,000 membership fee, provides wealthy CEOs …
Donald TrumpTrump AdministrationBusiness LeadersDonald Trump Jr.Tim Cook+3 morekleptocracytrump-administrationregulatory-capturebusiness-government-coordinationpay-to-play
After crypto company Consensys donated $100,000 to President Trump’s inaugural fund, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) dropped a case pending against the firm.
ConsensysDonald TrumpSECcorruptionconsensysseccryptoregulatory-capture+2 more
After Capitol One donated $1 million to President Trump’s inauguration fund, the Trump Administration ended a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) case against Capital One involving allegedly misleading consumers about interest payments.
Capital OneDonald TrumpCFPBcorruptioncapital-oneregulatory-capturecfpbinauguration-fund+1 more
Top 25 investors in $TRUMP memecoin attended private reception with President Trump, receiving $100,000 crypto-themed Trump watches. Justin Sun, the biggest $TRUMP coin holder, attended the dinner. The event sparked an ethics investigation by Senator Blumenthal, who alleged this represented an …
Donald TrumpJustin SunFight Fight Fight LLCRichard Blumenthalcryptotrump-coinpay-to-playpresidential-accessinsider-trading+1 more
Trump’s 2025 inauguration raised record $251.4 million, a 142% increase from his 2017 inauguration and quadruple Biden’s 2021 total. Corporate donations totaled $161.1 million with 104 businesses giving $1 million or more. Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. led with $5 million, Ripple Labs gave …
Trump Inaugural CommitteePilgrim's Pride Corp. ($5 million)Ripple Labs ($4.9 million)Warren Stephens ($4 million, appointed UK Ambassador)Corporate donors (104 at $1M+)campaign-financecorporate-influencedonor-appointmentspay-to-playcorruption+2 more
Chinese crypto billionaire Justin Sun invested $75 million in Trump’s World Liberty Financial (75% of proceeds go to Trump family as fees, netting them ~$56 million) and over $20 million in $TRUMP memecoin, totaling $93+ million in Trump crypto ventures. Sun attended a May 2025 black-tie gala …
Justin SunDonald TrumpTrump FamilySecurities and Exchange Commission (SEC)World Liberty Financial+2 morecrypto-conflictsforeign-investmentsec-investigationpay-to-playchinese-influence+3 more
Elon Musk stated that only verified (paid) accounts would be eligible for ‘For You’ recommendations and for voting in polls, tying organic reach to paid verification. This represented a fundamental change in Twitter’s algorithmic distribution of content, effectively creating a …
Elon MuskX (Twitter)algorithmsplatform-policyrankingx-twittersubscriptions+2 more
Florida businessman Harry Sargeant III told federal prosecutors that associates of Rudy Giuliani approached him seeking a $2 million payment to secure presidential pardons for individuals under investigation, according to court filings unsealed in April 2021. The revelation provided direct evidence …
In his final hours as president, Donald Trump issued 73 pardons and 70 commutations—143 acts of clemency in a single day, overwhelming the typical pardon process and demonstrating systematic corruption of executive power. The pardons went almost exclusively to political allies, campaign donors, and …
Donald TrumpSteve BannonElliott BroidyKen KursonPaul Manafort+2 morePardonsCorruptionAbuse-of-PowerFraudPay-to-Play
President Trump pardoned his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s father, real estate developer Charles Kushner, along with 14 other allies in a single day, demonstrating brazen nepotism and abuse of presidential clemency power. Charles Kushner had pleaded guilty in 2004 to 18 counts of illegal campaign …
Donald TrumpCharles KushnerJared KushnerPaul EricksonMargaret Hunter+1 morePardonsCorruptionNepotismAbuse-of-PowerPay-to-Play
President Trump’s systematic abuse of pardon power between 2017-2021 established a pattern of corruption that transformed constitutional clemency authority into a criminal enterprise. Analysis of Trump’s 237 pardons and commutations reveals a president who monetized executive power, …
Donald TrumpRudy GiulianiJared KushnerWilliam BarrPardonsCorruptionPay-to-PlayAbuse-of-PowerConstitutional-Crisis
Heavily redacted federal court documents unsealed in December 2020 revealed the Department of Justice was investigating a “bribery-for-pardon” scheme in which individuals allegedly offered substantial political contributions in exchange for presidential pardons. The court filings, made …
Donald TrumpElliott BroidyLev ParnasRudy GiulianiPardonsCorruptionPay-to-PlayBriberyDOJ+1 more
Phantom Fireworks CEO Bruce Zoldan met with Trump in May 2019 to lobby against tariffs on Chinese fireworks. Shortly after, Zoldan’s company provided an estimated $750,000-$1,000,000 in fireworks and services for Trump’s “Salute to America” July 4th event. The administration …
Donald TrumpBruce ZoldanPhantom Fireworkstariffspay-to-playcorruptionquid-pro-quoethics-violation
T-Mobile executives spent over 95,000 at Trump International Hotel while seeking approval for their 6 billion merger with Sprint, with more than 52 overnight stays documented. The spending coincided with the merger review period when T-Mobile needed approval from Trump’s Justice Department and …
Private prison companies CoreCivic and GEO Group saw their stock prices surge 100% and 98% respectively after donating nearly $2.8 million to Trump’s campaign and inauguration. Attorney General Jeff Sessions immediately reversed Obama’s order to phase out private prisons, declaring …
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s political committee “And Justice for All” received a $25,000 donation from the Donald J. Trump Foundation on September 17, 2013, just four days after her office announced it was reviewing complaints about Trump University and might join New …
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi pressured two senior prosecutors, June Clarkson and Theresa Edwards, to resign from their positions leading the state’s investigation into foreclosure fraud and robo-signing by major banks and mortgage servicers. The attorneys had uncovered massive fraud …
George W. Bush formalized an unprecedented campaign bundling system where ‘Rangers’ raising 00,000+ and ‘Pioneers’ raising 00,000+ received federal appointments. In 2000, 241 Pioneers reached their goals, contributing to Bush raising 7 million in first 4 months. By 2004, the …
George W. BushKarl RoveMercer ReynoldsThomas ScullySam Fox+2 morecampaign-financepay-to-playappointmentsbundlingcorruption+1 more
In 1996, ALEC adopted an internal business plan that explicitly redefined the organization’s purpose in commercial terms, cementing its pay-to-play structure for moving pro-corporate legislation through state legislatures. The plan stated: “ALEC must begin to function more like a …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)corporate-capturelegislative-capturealecpay-to-playcorporate-lobbying+1 more
Newt Gingrich, Tom DeLay, and Grover Norquist officially launched the K Street Project, a systematic effort to pressure Washington lobbying firms to hire Republicans in top positions and reward loyal GOP lobbyists with access to influential officials. Gingrich deputized Majority Whip Tom DeLay to …